James Alex Fields Jr: Man accused of driving into Charlottesville protesters pleads not guilty

Suspect faces multiple charges including first degree murder

James Alex Fields Jr allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters. (Getty Images North America)

The man accused of ramming his car into a crowd at a white supremacist rally and killing one of the counter protesters, has pleaded not guilty to murder.

James Alex Fields Jr sat silently as jury selection began in the Charlottesville Circuit Court where faces multiple charges of malicious wounding and assault and separate federal hate crime charges.

He also faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal who was killed as she joined other residents of Charlottesville to protest against neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups that descended on the quiet Virginia town for a “Unite the Right” rally.

The protest saw hundreds of neo-Nazi sympathizers, accompanied by rifle-carrying men, yelling white nationalist slogans and wielding flaming torches.

Dozens of other protesters were injured, many seriously, in the alleged car attack on 12 August 2017.

Video of the incident shows a Dodge Challenger stopping a short distance from those marching in the area reversing, but then going forward into them.

If convicted of first degree murder Mr Fields faces 20 years to life in prison.

Both lawyers Judge Richard Moore asked groups of 28 people about their knowledge and opinions about the case, along with more basic questions about personal connections to witnesses in the case.

Mr Fields’ counsel John Hill told one group that the court will hear evidence that the 21-year-old "thought he was acting in self-defence."

The commonwealth’s attorney Joseph Platania and senior assistant attorney Nina-Alice Antony are expected to argue that it was a premeditated attack.

Jury selection is expected to last around two days, with the full trial scheduled to last until mid-December.

Donald Trump was widely criticised after the incident when he did condemn white supremacists in his initial response to the incident. Instead he blamed the violence “on many sides”.